


To The East

by Austinonymous



Series: To The East (Main Series & One-Shots) [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Some Fluff, Some angst, Villain Marc Anciel, Villain Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Villains to Heroes, Will add tags as they come up, villain AU, whatever comes to mind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 19:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16859863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Austinonymous/pseuds/Austinonymous
Summary: Evillustrator has been working for Hawk-Moth and his criminal empire for years, and now he has a new assignment that will take him to Japan - and a new partner he has to work alongside. Are they prepared to follow through with the villains' plans - even when the lives' of U.A.'s students are put on the line?





	To The East

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This was sort of a crack idea I wrote on my tumblr, but I'm thinking of expanding this into a proper series. Any feedback as we go forward on this adventure is highly appreciated, as this is my first proper My Hero Academia story as well. Well, let's get to it!

“So, who’s the new villain you’re bringing into our little group Hawk-Moth?” Evillustrator asked, leaning against the wall of the large and opulent manor of his employer. The interior of the massive estate was gilded with expensive gold, silver and marble, wood flooring and paneling added in to give it a dignified feeling. It was quite the opposite of most evil lairs Evillustrator had heard of, worth more than most criminals had to live off of; given Hawk-Moth had complete control over most organized crime in Paris, and rumored ties to the government, perhaps it was to be expected for someone of his stature.

Hawk-Moth chuckled as he descended the staircase, his Akuma butterflies fluttering around him with whispered winds from their small beating wings. Evillustrator hated those little things. They were in their own way quite beautiful with their purple coloration, but you stayed away from them. They were manifestations of Hawk-Moth’s Quirk and how he exerted his controlling powers over people. Nathaniel had been on the receiving end of his boss's Quirk once before; he vowed that would never happen again. The older villain answered, “Oh, you’ll meet our new blood soon enough. If you are free, I would like for you two to spend some time getting to know each other- an old ally in Japan has requested some assistance and if you two get along I am considering sending you as my representatives.”

That made Evillustrator raise an eyebrow at the man. Usually, Hawk-Moth simply had them working to extend control over more of the French underworld and keeping the various criminals employed by Hawk-Moth in line. As one of Hawk-Moth’s more valuable and reliable enforcers ever since he had graduated, Evillustrator was too important to risk getting captured by the local authorities. Hawk-Moth, though he desired to capture Ladybug and Chat-Noir and Akumatize them, had learned over the years to not directly engage them unless he was sure he would win and not lose important pawns. “You’re willing to send us to Japan? That’s more than a bit of a trip.”

“He’s a very powerful ally that I will send only my best to. Anything less and it would be insulting the man- plus,” Hawk-Moth smirked at this, “it will grant you some level of protection. Knowing I value you will grant you a certain level of safety should you butt heads with them. He and his disciple are far less forgiving than I.” Hawk-Moth said, the irony obvious enough that Evillustrator had to snort at it. Hawk-Moth was ‘forgiving’- if you could call punishing people by permanently Akumatizing their loved ones or temporarily Akumatizing the person being punished ‘forgiving’.

There was a reason even Ladybug and Chat-Noir were cautious to directly confront Hawk-Moth in his lair.

“Fair enough. I know that not every criminal organization is as easy going as ours is.” Evillustrator said shrugging. “Anything I should know ahead of time? Information on who I'm working with, or important heroes to look out for? You know, besides the obvious ones like All-Might.” He said, walking with Hawk-Moth as they left the loft of his employer’s manor. The older gentleman considered his question as his cane clicked on the tile floor.

“He didn’t leave me much as to what your objective would be, but he hinted towards possibly something to do with U.A.- I would suggest doing some research on the students there,” Hawk-Moth said, leading him down the long hall to the parlor. “I’m sure All For One will underestimate the student body should he attack it, but from our own experience with those two foolish superheroes, we shouldn’t leave anything to chance. Also,” Hawk-Moth suddenly stopped, looking over at Evillustrator, “Always refer to him with respect and as ‘Sensei’. Personally, I think his ego is far too big, but I do not want you to anger him over petty things.”

Evillustrator nodded seriously, keeping that in mind. It would be a change that Evillustrator would need to get used to. Even if Hawk-Moth was fairly uptight himself, he let his subordinates be independent to a certain extent. They knew they couldn’t refuse him, so whatever small resistance they showed him seemed to just amuse him. They could push his limits, of course, he was still a crime boss, but the Moth (as the crime network was referred to) tended to play nice with the boss for the most part.

However, the idea of targeting a school like U.A. had alarm bells ringing in his head. What sort of villains attacked the top school for heroes in the country? That seemed both needlessly reckless but also ... immoral to some level. That wasn't to say that criminals were moral people by any means but- well, they had some ethics that most of them refused to cross. Hurting kids? That was still a big one. Unless Evillustrator's contacts inside prisons were wrong, hurting kids via murder or more... unsavory acts were frowned on and cause enough to be killed in a secluded corner of the yard still.

Of course, Hawk-Moth didn't give a damn about that sort of thing, that much was obvious but hurting kids was usually not something he was concerned with unless he was teaching a subordinate a lesson. Being barely older than the students at U.A.- well, it would be difficult to attack them.

Evillustrator would do it of course. He was in too deep with Hawk-Moth to even think about not doing what he asked.

Hawk-Moth gestured towards the door of the parlor, “Your new, possible, partner is in there Evillustrator- I have other matters that need my attention, so I leave things to you for now. Take the day to get to know him; I expect a report of your impressions and how well you would do together on a mission tomorrow morning.” He ordered, making the younger villain nod in agreement. Evillustrator opened the door as Hawk-Moth walked away, the man’s shoes clicking sharply on the wooden floors.

Evillustrator wasn’t sure what he had expected of whatever villain Hawk-Moth had scrounged up out of the gutter someplace. Perhaps some kid who had a powerful quirk but barely a costume to his name, or some idiot who’d ruined his life by stealing from a store and now was a wanted man. Hell, there was one-time Evillustrator had been put temporarily in charge of some idiot who had stolen from Hawk-Moth; the man’s family had all been Akumatized except for their child, and it was either work for the supervillain or lose their child too.

The point was, Hawk-Moth was a spiteful and vengeful man that had a talent for sniffing out powerful Quirks. 

The man standing in the flickering light of the parlor, illuminated by the crackling fireplace, was none of that it seemed. He stood proudly as he waited, despite being fairly short, back straight and feet set in a confident stance. His villain costume was a striking dichotomy of black and white, neatly dividing him into sections that drew your eye along the costume’s harsh lines and edges. Evillustrator’s fingers itched for a pen or pencil; even the outfit’s silhouette was enough to make the designer in him impressed and want to sketch it down for future reference.

Hearing the door open, the man turned, with a snide look that still held a look of interest and curiosity. Evillustrator entered and the man seemed to freeze, something that made Evillustrator smirk as he approached, “So you’re the new guy Hawk-Moth wanted me to partner up with. The name’s Evillustrator,” he said, introducing himself.

“I know who you are, Evillustrator. I’ve heard your name tossed around in the Moth. I certainly didn’t expect-“The man cut himself off and inclined his head to Evillustrator, extending a hand to shake, “My name is Reverser.” The slight stutter in the Reverser’s words that was so contrary to the proud and confident man that stood there a moment before. The shifting of weight that he had too, betrayed his sudden nervousness. It wasn’t at being in Hawk-Moth’s manor, nor the possibility of meeting Evillustrator in person; he had been fine before Evillustrator had appeared. It was almost like it was the sight of Evillustrator that had him nervous. The veteran villain’s eyes narrowed a bit as he shook Reverser’s hand.

“What did you not expect Reverser? Please enlighten me- as your future partner I am quite curious for an answer,” Evillustrator said, his grip firm and almost crushing as he looked into the other villain’s eyes, trying to decipher what emotions and intentions lay behind the slight widening of his admittedly pretty eyes.

Reverser coughed and looked away, “Well, you are quite striking and its hard to forget your voice, even when you distort it so heavily... Nathaniel.” He said, a slight sneer coming into his tones at mentioning Evillustrator’s real name.

Nathaniel jerked a bit in surprise at that comment- not even Hawk-Moth used his real name when reprimanding him. No one used it anymore, not since he had graduated; hearing it sounded like a rusty and old car trying to start again for the first time in decades, “How do you know my name? How do you know me?” He said, a bit angry now as he suddenly realized why he had all his questions considering the new person waved away, “Dammit, this is why Hawk-Moth didn’t tell me anything before sending me to talk to you isn’t it-?!”

Reverser chuckled at his response, giving him a coy smile, “It does seem like something he would do. In the small time I've come to know him, I've noticed that he likes irony far more than is healthy.” Reverser’s smile turned to a sneer, however, “And I’m not surprised you don’t recognize me- you seemed plenty confident to ignore my existence after you destroyed my prom proposal back in high school.”

Oh, no, Nathaniel knew exactly who this was- he would never be able to forget the shy boy from high school. “Marc?! That’s- that’s you underneath all that make-up?” He said, honestly shocked. Nathaniel had pegged many people as possible villain material when he was growing up. It wasn't like Nathaniel was innocent before he left the school; he had started running drugs for the Moth even back then to make ends meet with his parents ... indisposed. Despite that, he never expected that sweet, kind boy to turn into a villain of all things.

Marc looked away at hearing the shock in Nathaniel’s voice, “It’s me… or at least, what’s left of me. I think it’s pretty obvious that life hasn’t been peachy for me since high school. Or during it for that matter; not that you helped things.” He said frustrated, though whether it was at that event or the fact that Nathaniel had been oblivious as to who he was.

Nathaniel threw his hands in the air, “Well what did you expect to happen? When you accept a dare to humiliate me like that, next time think about how I might react to it if you actually valued my friendship,” He growled. Nathan actually had been interested in the cute, shy black-haired boy back in high school, but that had all changed when the boy had proved himself to be just the same bully Nathaniel had to deal with in the rest of school, the same types of bullies that had driven him to the Moth's arms.

“Wait,” Marc said suddenly, voice sounding slightly hoarser, “You thought that I asked you out to prom- on a dare?!” He sounded like he was being strangled.

That made Nathaniel pause his internal rant about the other boy, “Well yeah? Of course? Chloe and her posse of bitches made my life a living hell during high school. Even Marinette, as nice as she was, just made things worse for me.” Nathaniel said, trying to keep a lid on his emotions. He didn’t like to remember the times he had come home bloody and bruised. “You were the shyest guy in the whole school- why would you do an extravagant proposal except on a dare? Especially with Chloe and Marinette watching?”

Marc was speechless before rubbing his face and letting out a long groan, “My god you’re an idiot.” He snapped, angry now as well, “I genuinely liked you, you idiot! You think you were the only one bullied in that school?! How do you think it was being a guy who enjoyed wearing make-up, having no self-confidence and being an absolute nerd was? Do you think Chloe left me alone either? You think I don’t know what it’s like to go home bruised or a sobbing mess from the assholes we had to go to school with? I liked you a lot and thought you would be different Nathaniel!”

Nathaniel stopped at that, gaping at the now-grown-up boy in front of him, “You… you really….?” He couldn’t believe this, “Seriously? Why the hell didn’t you say anything afterward then?! I was into you for years Marc! I would’ve said yes if I hadn’t been dealing with crippling depression and anxiety at the time- still suffering from that by the by. I might’ve had enough coherent thought to not jump to the worst possible conclusion if you’d just sat down and talked to me about it again!”

After yelling a bit at each other, they both stood in silence for a moment, not able to meet each other’s eyes. Now that it was said and out there… they both sounded like idiots. It was so ridiculous that in all honesty, it made Nathaniel chuckle. Marc looked up at him with wide eyes that made Nathan smirk.

“We’re a couple of fuck-ups aren’t we? Fitting I’d meet you again, this time in a villain’s lair.” That made Marc let out a shaky chuckle as he shook his head.

“Yeah, I guess so but… it seems fitting enough, doesn’t it? We made each other feel more hopeless when we were good guys; now here we are, villains that are going to be working together and helping each other,” Marc said as Nathaniel grinned at him.

“It’s like a school project from back in the day, huh? Well, I guess we’ll just have to meet up outside of class, won’t we?” Said Nathaniel, with a confidence that he wouldn’t have had back in those days. Marc, in turn, nodded with a sly grin, something he wouldn’t have done either.

They both really had changed, even if it was the same them underneath.

“Let’s do this again; hello, my name is Evillustrator, an enforcer for Hawk-Moth. My quirk is Living Art and I’m your new partner. I look forward t working with you,” Evillustrator said, smirking as he extended his hand again.

A black and white hand took his own confidently and shook it, “My name is Reverser, and my quirk is Reversion. I look forward to working with you.”

Evillustrator and Reverser smiled at each other as they clasped hands and shook them. They were in business.

"So, what was it that Hawk-Moth told you about our new mission?" Evillustrator asked curiously, moving over and leaning up against the wall. Reverser straightened up, his confidence flowing back into his body now that they were talking hero work. Interesting. 

"Nothing much at all, only that it was highly important- and that I was being sent to keep you safe." Reverser said, folding his arms with a slight frown. He was obviously slightly uncomfortable with the fact he was being sent mostly as protection for Nathaniel. It made sense for Hawk-Moth to send some sort of back-up for Evillustrator, though he was curious as to why he was wanting to send Reverser.

The artistic villain leaned forward a bit, humming, "What's your Quirk Marc? I never heard what it was back when we were growing up." 

That drew a grim and slightly uncomfortable look from Reverser for a moment, "I can change people's personalities temporarily. It can be something as simple as changing the target of their aggression or as drastic as completely reversing their values." He paused, "Hypothetically, I could reverse the personalities of All Might or whoever we're being sent to work for long enough to let us get to safety should they endanger us."

How interesting; no wonder a Quirk like that had gotten on Hawk-Moth's radar. It was much like his Akumatization, only working differently. And if the thought that Marc had a similar Quirk to the boss and had managed to gain Hawk-Moth's attention sent a shiver down Evillustrator's spine, well, he wasn't going to say anything. He could worry about whether Hawk-Moth was looking for a new heir to his criminal empire at a later date.

"Alright, I understand why he's sending you on such an important mission so soon." Evillustrator stood up and nodded to the door, "Come on. Hawk-Moth said to take the day off to get to know each other but that's another ruse of his. You never get off days here." He said as he led Reverser out of the room and through the manor to the secret exit so they could head to Evillustrator's safe-house. "We got some research to do."


End file.
